Luis Ortiz, a Manhattan real estate broker featured on Bravo reality TV show "Million Dollar Listing New York," was seen on a recent episode digitally enhancing promotional photos of a home for which he is currently a listing agent.

Ortiz, 26, and his brother used Adobe Photoshop during the May episode of the show to alter promotional photos of a five-bedroom home listed for $7 million in Manhattan's swanky Greenwich Village. The brothers added marble countertops and hardwood floors and upgraded the kitchen.

While Ortiz refers to the photos as “a little white lie,” the New York State Department is taking the situation very seriously as it has launched a full investigation into Ortiz's business practices. The reality show, which airs on Bravo, gives viewers a look inside the jaw-dropping wealthy world of New York City real estate. Ortiz addressed the incident in a blog post posted on Bravo's website, titled "Falling Short of My Beliefs." Ortiz concluded that it "was not the best of my moments" but said he doesn't regret it because it was a learning experience.

"By doing what I did, I learned what not to do in the future, and that lesson is worth having done what I did. Sometimes, we're told what not do, but it is only after we go through it ourselves that we then understand why it shouldn't have been done. That's when a real lesson is learned," he wrote.

Ortiz, a vice president at Keller Williams New York City, started as a sales agent in 2009 selling $20 million worth of real estate in his first five months. In 2010, he joined Synergy NYC, a boutique firm that established him as an industry leader. He became a top-selling agent grossing more than $75 million in equity and off-market sales, as well as new development.

RELATED STORIES
Adobe